House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, joined by Chairman Buck McKeon of the House Armed Services Committee and Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of the Foreign Affairs Committee, today introduced a bill (H.R. 6036) calling on the Obama Administration to designate the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

The Haqqani Network is responsible for a long reign of terror, indiscriminate attacks, killing US and coalition soldiers, Afghan police, and innocent Afghan men, women, and children. The Haqqani Network is responsible for countless attacks, including in June 2011, when eight Haqqani gunmen and suicide bombers carried out an assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul leaving 18 people dead. In September that same year a truck bomb attack on a US military base by Haqqani fighters in Wardak province injured 77 US troops and killed five Afghans. Also in September 2011 Haqqani terrorists conducted a protracted assault on the US Embassy in Kabul. That 20 hour gun battle left 16 Afghans dead, five police officers and at least six children among them.

In April of this year the four leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, HPSCI Chairman Mike Rogers, Ranking Member C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, SSCI Chairman Dianne Feinstein, and Vice Chair Saxby Chambliss, traveled to Afghanistan. They met with President Karzai, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, General Allen and other officials. Their meetings with Afghan and US leaders in Afghanistan affirmed Chairman Rogers’ view that the Haqqani Network poses grave danger to Afghanistan and to US and coalition troops, and should be designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

The designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization clears the way to cutting the flow of money and resources to the designated organization. Additionally, such a designation makes it unlawful to provide material support or resources to an organization determined to be an FTO. For a complete review of the effects of an FTO designation, visit the State Department website at http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm

In introducing H.R. 6036, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said, “Republicans and Democrats in both houses of Congress agree that the Haqqani Network is a violent terrorist organization and grave threat to our security. The Haqqanis are responsible for killing hundreds of our troops, and their indiscriminate attacks have also murdered countless innocent Afghan men, women, and children. With this bipartisan, bicameral effort, we urge the Obama Administration to formally designate the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization so we can cut off the finances that are fueling their terrorist attacks.”

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